— Waikīkī Historic Trail —

On this site stood the villa of Chun Afong, Hawai?i's first Chinese millionaire, who arrivedin Honolulu in 1849. By 1855, he had made hisfortune in retailing, real estate, sugar and rice, and for a long time held the governmentmonopoly opium license.Chun Afong was a member of King Kalakaua's privycouncil, and married Julia Fayerweather, a descendent of Hawaiian royalty, with whom he had 16 children, 13 ofwhom were daughters. He was the inspiration for JackLondon's famous story, "Chun Ah Chun." His Waikiki villa occupied three acres of landscaped grounds. Here he gave grand parties for royalty, diplomats, military officers and other dignitaries.

In 1904 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers purchased the property for $28,000 to makeway for the construction ofBattery Randolph and theno-longer-extant BatteryDudley to defend HonoluluHarbor from foreign attack.The battery consisted of two14-inch guns, capable offiring a 1,560 pound projectile over a range of 14 miles. It was constructed with reinforced concrete walls and a roof up to 12 feet thick. In 1969, theArmy attempted todemolish Battery Randolph, but it resisted all efforts of the wrecking ball. The use of dynamite was rejected as too dangerous. One of the last importantmilitary fortifications of its time. Battery Randolph was dedicated onDecember 7, 1976 as the home of the U.S. Army Museum of Hawai?i.

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